What is sensation?

What is sensation?

• A. Detection of physical stimuli by sensory organs.
• B. Interpretation of sensory input.
• C. Higher mental processing of information.
• D. The brain and spinal cord.

Answer: (A)

Sensation is the detection of physical stimuli by sensory organs. Receptors in our ears, eyes, skin, and other sense organs pick up environmental stimuli—like sound waves, light, or a touch—and convert them into neural signals that travel to the brain. This is the initial, physiological step of experiencing the world. Perception, by contrast, is the interpretation and meaning-making that happens once those signals reach the brain. So while the brain and spinal cord are involved in processing, sensation specifically refers to the moment sensory organs detect and transduce the stimuli.

Sensation is the detection of physical stimuli by sensory organs. Receptors in our ears, eyes, skin, and other sense organs pick up environmental stimuli—like sound waves, light, or a touch—and convert them into neural signals that travel to the brain. This is the initial, physiological step of experiencing the world. Perception, by contrast, is the interpretation and meaning-making that happens once those signals reach the brain. So while the brain and spinal cord are involved in processing, sensation specifically refers to the moment sensory organs detect and transduce the stimuli.